NAIA bollards not deep enough? Marcos orders probe

Bollards that weren't buried deep enough contributed to the car crash incident on Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

- By RUDY SANTOS

While the barrier posts installed in 2019 are made of solid steel, they could not be imbedded deeper into the concrete since the arrival area is below it, MIAA general manager Eric Ines said yesterday.

"It might penetrate (too deep into the concrete) and fall onto something (in the arrival area)," he said.

Engineers of the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) and MIAA on Monday inspected the bollards, which were meant to withstand vehicle crashes and ensure pedestrian safety.

A four-year-old girl and a man died and four others were injured on Sunday after a car plowed into a crowd and crashed near the NAIA Terminal 1 entrance.

Auditing NAIA bollards Bollards across NAIA are being audited and departure passenger drop-off areas at Terminals 1 and 2 are being redesigned by the NNIC.

The audit would determine where reinforcements for existing bollards, such as deeper foundations or structural upgrades, are needed, NNIC general manager Angelito Alvarez said.

Meanwhile, the diagonal passenger drop-off layout at Terminals 1 and 2 will be modified into a safer parallel unloading configuration.

The NNIC assumed operations of NAIA in September 2024 through a public-private partnership aimed at modernizing and improving the country's main international gateway.